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How You Can Help Your DWI Case

Complete the Travis County Counseling and Education Services Evaluation

Like a lot of people, you may want more than to just understand your situation. You want to do something. You may feel that sitting and waiting and feeling anxious isn’t helping you. Well, you’re right.

Click here to download the Travis County Counseling and Education Services (“TCCES”) Referral Form. I’ve highlighted on the front page the parts you need to complete. The form is self-explanatory. Just call the number on it to get started with the evaluation.

Take the DWI education course

There is no mystery as to whether TCCES will recommend that you take the DWI education class if this is your first DWI arrest. They will. So at the same time that you sign up for a TCCES evaluation, Google “DWI Education Class Austin Texas.” It will give you a list of private companies that offer the class. Most of them offer it for the same fee that TCCES charges. All of them run the class for 12 hours, just like TCCES. All of them give you the exact same certificate upon completion that TCCES would give you.

So, what is the difference between the private company and TCCES? The private company cares about your schedule. If they don’t accommodate your schedule, you won’t hire them. The fine folks at TCCES offer their classes when they offer them and do not adjust the class day or time to accommodate anyone.

Regardless of whom you take the class from, don’t be late to class. Some class providers tolerate no tardiness for any reason.

Attend the MADD Victim Impact Panel

You should also take the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Impact Panel. This class costs roughly $20-$30 and lasts three hours. Show up at the Travis County Criminal Justice Center on the first or third Wednesday of any month no later than 5:30 p.m.

Why bother with these classes? To show the prosecutor that you have already done all of the counseling that you would have been required to do if you had been placed on probation. Taking the classes is not an admission of guilt. You’re simply improving your negotiation posture. Nothing more and nothing less.